Frequently Asked Questions

There is no fee to file and you do not have to hire anyone to file for you.

No, you do not have to reapply unless the chief appraiser requests a new application in writing or you move to a new residence.

Yes, you will need to include a copy of your title to the mobile home or a verified copy of your purchase contract with the exemption form.

No, you may only receive a homestead exemption on your primary residence.

Generally for residential property, the appraised value of your property is an estimate of what the appraisal district believes your property would most likely sell for on January 1st of the current year. We calculate this estimate by analyzing current sales in your neighborhood and comparing your home to those homes that sold as well as considerations of size, classification, and depreciation due to its condition and age. The appraisal district may use three common methods to value property: market, cost and income approach.

Fair market value means the price at which a property would transfer for cash or its equivalent under prevailing market conditions if exposed for sale in the open market with a reasonable time for the seller to find a purchaser. Both the seller and the purchaser know all of the uses and purposes to which the property is adapted and for which it is capable of being used and of the enforceable restrictions on its use. Both the seller and the purchaser seek to maximize their gains and neither is in a position to take advantage of the exigencies of the other.

In real estate, there’s no better indication of market value or how much a property is truly worth than what someone has decided to pay for a property or what somebody has decided to sell the same property for, assuming the buyer and seller were represented by real estate professionals, the property was listed and marketed out in the open market and open to attract multiple offers, and neither the buyer or the seller is in a position to take advantage of the each other

Property value information can be obtained by visiting the Property Search tab and performing a search of your property, or by calling our office at (210)242-2432.

The Notice of Appraised Value contains a description of your property, its current value, the exemptions and an estimate of taxes that might be owed. A notice is generated if the value of your property has increased by more than $1,000 from the previous year or if your property is new and was not appraised in the previous year.

The Chief Appraiser sends out a detailed Notice of Appraised Value to property owners and/or the agent of record annually, usually by April 15th.

Yes, you may refer to the Property Search tab and perform a search for your property; the notice will be available in your options. If you have an account on our online services portal, you can access the notice there. You can also call our office at (210)242-2432 or submit a request to our Help Center.

Value changes may occur for several reasons. As it pertains to residential property, often sales information may indicate the current appraised value is lower/higher than fair market. Also, corrections to appraisal records may affect value, such as: change in square footage, a pool not previously accounted for, or a correction of a property characteristic. As it pertains to commercial property, the preferred valuation method on income producing properties is the Income approach. This means we must survey and collect the most current market rental rates in the area, occupancy rates, typical market expense ratios and cap rates in order to accurately estimate a property’s net operating income.

Your property’s assessed value is not the same as its market value. The market value of your property may increase or decrease by any amount year-to-year. If you have a General Homestead exemption on your property, the increase in your assessed value is limited from year-to-year to 10% as long as changes have not been made that add new value (such as a new improvement addition).

If you have not designated a tax agent to represent you at your formal protest hearing, you are entitled to one postponement if requested prior to the day of your formal hearing. To reschedule your formal hearing, submit a request to our Help Center or call our office at (210)242-2432.

Your protest will be dismissed if you do not appear for the hearing in person, through a valid Affidavit, by agent, by telephone conference, or by Zoom. You may request that the ARB Chairperson reopen the hearing by sending a letter within 4 days of the dismissal citing the good cause reason for failure to appear. Requests can be submitted to our Help Center or mailed to PO Box 830248, San Antonio, TX 78283.

The appraisal district maintains records of property characteristics and values that are used in the property appraisal process. As properties change over time, the appraisal district is required to periodically inspect property to ensure our records are accurate. A reinspection may be required based on an indication that a change has occurred, such as a building permit or for the periodic maintenance of records accuracy.

As the appraisal district needs to verify a property, we may or may not need to access the property. We may be able to visually verify from the street or we may request closer access for measurements. If we need to approach the property closer than the street, the appraiser will knock on the front door to request permission or additional information. Appraisal district staff should clearly display the district logo and have a photo ID. If there is ever any question about a staff member working in your area, please call the office to verify. All measurements and observations are external; we will not enter your residence. The property owner may submit photos and information about the interior of the property by submitting a request to our Help Center.

In appraisal, the term improvement simply means something that has been added to the land and is defined by the tax code as a building, structure, fixture, or fence erected on or affixed to land. It may also refer to a transportable structure that is designed to be occupied for residential or business purposes, whether or not it is affixed to land, unless the structure is unoccupied and held for sale or is temporarily located at a particular place.

The appraisal district may receive building permits or other public records to indicate that an improvement has been added or removed. We will also review aerial photographs and perform periodic reinspection of properties to see where changes have occurred. A property owner may also notify the appraisal district of changes that have been made to ensure awareness.

The Property Tax Code provides the homestead exemption to a residential property where an owner resides and identifies as their primary residence. The homestead exemption provides a 10% limitation on the amount of the property value that is taxable to the taxing units. It does not change how a property is appraised at market value. The market value will increase or decrease based on market data; however, the assessed/taxable amount of the market value is limited to a 10% increase over the previous year. Any amount of taxable value that increases more than 10% from the previous year is capped off from taxation which is also called the homestead cap amount. The cap amount auto calculates each year as long as the exemption was in place the previous year for the current owner. The homestead cap will not apply to new improvements or land segments that may have been added until the following year’s valuation.

According to the tax code, all property is identified and valued at its status on January 1st of each year. Property that was not complete on January 1 is valued at a partial percentage based on its level of completion. Property that did not exist on January 1st is not identified in that year. Property that is removed or destroyed after January 1st remains on the tax roll until the following year.

No, they are based on 100% of the fair market value of your property.

Per Section 22.27 of the Texas Property Tax Code, the appraisal district is prohibited from disclosing sales information gathered from a private source. Taxpayers who have protested his or her property value are entitled to the sales used to value his or her property but no other sales information.

The market value of property shall be determined by the application of generally accepted appraisal methods and techniques. Bexar Appraisal District uses 3 valuation methods: the Cost Method, the Sales Method & the Income Method.

All appraisal methods use different set of information to arrive at a market value opinion;
–  the Cost Method encompasses calculating a property’s RCN (Replacement Cost New) and then adjusting for any appropriate depreciation based on age/condition/location etc.
–  the Market Sales Method involves the analyzing of comparable market sales and then adjusting for any differences between the subject property and the selected comparable properties.
–  the Income Method is the most commonly used method in the valuation of commercial properties. It sets out to calculate a property’s Net Operating Income (NOI) by estimating a property’s total rental income minus normal expenses and then capitalizing the NOI by a prevailing the Cap Rate.

Commercial properties are being valued on a yearly basis and the values are as of January 1st of every year.

Some properties may be considered to have commercial potential even if they’re being used as residential. For example, properties that are in an area where the “highest and best” use has changed due to zoning changes, gentrification, and/or if the area is growing or transitioning into a more commercial driven nature.

There are a number of special exemptions available to commercial properties that serve a very specific purpose. Among these are: properties that offer Affordable or low-income housing to a segment of the population (LIH), Pollution Controls or organizations that perform charitable or religious activities. Refer to the Taxpayer Resources and Forms tabs for further information.

There are 5 major commercial property categories:
Commercial Land Office, Retail, Multifamily (Apartments) and Industrial.

Each type may have different subcategories due to size, service provided or target tenant. For example:
–  in the Multifamily type there are Conventional apartments, Low income Housing Apartments or student housing apartments.
–  In the Retail category you may have your Retail indoor Malls or neighborhood shopping centers.

All categories and subcategories are valued using their own unique characteristics and attributes which may be different from the major to sub-category.

The income approach is predicated on the idea that the value of an income producing property is based on the quantity and quality of the income stream. The quantity of the income stream is most often represented by the net operating income and the quality of the income stream is represented by the capitalization rate. The net operating income, or NOI, is capitalized at an appropriate rate to arrive at an estimate of value.

The formula for this is: V = I/R

Where V= Value, I = Income or NOI, and R = capitalization rate.

A method used to convert an estimate of a single year’s income expectancy into an indication of value in one direct step, either by diving the net operating estimate by an appropriate capitalization rate or by multiplying the income estimate by the appropriate factor. Direct capitalization employs capitalization rates and multipliers extracted or developed from market data. The Direct Capitalization approach only uses one year’s income.

This is a property that is held or purchased for its income potential or its future income stream potential collected through leasing or the collection of rent.

This refers to the total floor area of a building, excluding unenclosed areas, measured from exterior of the walls; includes both the superstructure floor area and the substructure or basement area.

This is also known as rentable area, net rentable square feet or usable area. The simple definition is that the net rentable area is the area (or square footage) for which rent can be charged.

Also referred to as Ancillary income, it’s normally the income which is produced by amenities or services or through creative strategies in either leasing or marketing.

Zoning refers to municipal or local laws or regulations that dictate how real property can and cannot be used in certain geographic areas. These laws can be modified or suspended if construction of the property will serve to help the community advance economically. Please contact your local zoning department for more details (COSA) as Bexar Appraisal District does not assign zoning areas.

Yes, if you feel the appraisal district has the wrong information on your property, you may call us at (210)242-2432 or submit a request to our Help Center. You can also visit the Property Search link on the home page to verify the current information we have on file for your property.